Technology assessment in Africa: capacity needs and opportunities

Technology assessment (TA) is a mature and widely used ‘toolbox’ for technology policymaking and governance in many countries around the world. However, it is still in its infancy and only starting to gain attention in technology policy and scholarship in Africa. The African Union has had several TA-like initiatives. Within academia, there are a few African university-based researchers publishing on TA, particularly in energy technology and health technology domains. However, university-based TA efforts are indirectly connected to public policy processes. Understanding these capacity deficits and identifying ways and means of institutionalizing TA in African technology policymaking and governance is the remit of this chapter. We argue that building capacity for ‘political authorisation’ through legislatures is key to institutionalising TA in Africa.